


The River of Time

by trynafindanunusedusername



Series: Knight of a Fallen Republic [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Cal and BD are so confused, Gen, That's Not How The Force Works, Time Travel, Will add tags as I go, also made up a Zeffo, i dont know what im doing, i make up a few planets, liberal use of ellipses (apparently they're called suspension points?), probably run on sentences, so am I
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:07:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24671302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trynafindanunusedusername/pseuds/trynafindanunusedusername
Summary: After the events of the game, Cal is eager to return to action, starting with exploring the ruins of another Zeffo site. But this, perhaps unsurprisingly, isn't your typical Zeffo ruin. After an encounter with a strange power, Cal and BD are displaced, find an unlikely ally, and may just change the course of history as they know it.(Endgame spoilers for Jedi: Fallen Order)
Relationships: BD-1 & Cal Kestis, CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Cal Kestis & Merrin, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Cal Kestis
Series: Knight of a Fallen Republic [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1857574
Comments: 59
Kudos: 268





	1. The Temple of Ulzid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of the game, Cal and BD-1 go to explore some Zeffo ruins... It doesn't go to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fanfic and also my first time using AO3 so pls be gentle lol. I'm determined to complete it, but I'm also not sure exactly how long this'll end up being or how far I'll take the story.
> 
> Also fair warning it's been a while since I've watched TCW (and I've been procrastinating watching S7) or Rebels, so if anyone sees any glaring inconsistencies pls lemme know.

Fin rotating into place, the Mantis extended its landing struts to touch down on Broditur, a fairly oceanic planet in the Mid-Rim.

Cal, with BD-1, practically leaped out of the Mantis, eager to return to action and learn more about the mysteries of the Force now that his Sith-inflicted injury had healed. An easy mission to start off with: Cordova's notes referenced a small Zeffo temple for the Minor Sage Ulzid, one he had thought peculiar, but hadn't had time to return to with his studies on Bogano. Though without the ability to restore the Jedi order (and he _had_ made the right decision in destroying the holocron, he knew), he was determined to figure out whatever secrets the Zeffo had left behind. 

"Doing okay, Beedee?" Cal asked his droid friend.

"Wooo, bee-boop," BD-1 trilled enthusiastically.

Nodding, Cal called back to Cere and Merrin. "This shouldn't take too long, Cordova's notes said the temple was pretty small. I'll comm you if I find anything cool!"

"Be careful out there," Cere replied. "We don't know what you'll find."

Merrin simply smiled at him, turning to look around their landing site.

Cal waved off their concerns. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine. Plus, I have Beedee to protect me."

"Woop, beep!"

And with that, Cal was off. Jogging around the tall grassy cliffs, running along walls to avoid falling into the ocean below, and fighting a few crustacean creatures, he made his way towards the marker on BD's map. He even picked up a sweet-smelling red-orange flower for the Mantis' expanded terrarium ("Think Greez could cook something up with this?" "Boo-beep!").

Finally, sliding down some slippery rocks on a pathway overlooking the sea, he came to a weathered archway carved into the cliff's face. It was...less impressive than the other sites he visited - no massive effigy, no swirling storm or towers to the sky, just an arch inscribed with glyphs, which BD immediately scanned.

"No new message from Cordova, huh bud?" Cal asked, pulling up the data entry, which, unhelpfully, noted they were similar to glyphs found at other Zeffo sites. "Anddd, we still don't know how to read Zeffonian, yep." Putting away the entry and strolling towards the arch, he added, "Only way to go is forward, right?" 

The temple was darker than Cal expected, lit only by light streaming in from a few cracks overhead. Lightsaber in hand, Cal and BD descended stairs into the main chamber, the size and shape of which reminded him of Eilram's sarcophagus room. Evenly spaced around the perimeter were alcoves containing finely carved Zeffo heads. A single pillar in the center of the room supported the ceiling, itself carved with the flowing pattern of a river.

There were also no paths leading out from the room, save the stairs he had descended. "I guess I can see why Cordova only visited this place once," Cal told BD, "I wonder why they built a temple for this Ulzid guy. Seems like most of the sites Cordova found were tombs, but there's definitely no sarcophagus here."

Punching in the frequency for the Mantis into his comm, he said "Cere? I've found the temple - it's about as small as we expected. I'm gonna check it out a little more then head back."

"Copy that, Cal. Comm us if you find anything."

Lowering his comm, Cal turned to his companion. "Come on, Beedee, let's see if we can find anything."

Walking around the room, he noticed that each carved head was different. Growing in size, head shape changing, wrinkles - it almost seemed like they were aging from one statue to the next. What he assumed was baby Zeffo was to the right of the entrance, and seemingly an elderly one was on the left. He got the sense it was almost...a cycle? Cal squinted his eyes in thought, maybe the Zeffo or Ulzid had a concept of reincarnation or something?

With that thought, Cal turned towards the next statue - and caught something strange out of the corner of his eye. The pillar... it looked normal, the same as when he came in, at least.

"Beep-boo?" BD chimed in concern.

"Thought for a moment the carvings were...moving? Flowing?" He shook his head, "Must've been my imagination."

He made a wide berth around the central pillar, just in case, as he walked over to the wall opposite the stairs, where the largest alcove was. Cal inspected the head. Was this what a middle-aged Zeffo looked like? He looked closer. It seemed like a normal alcove...no, there was something about the base - was the statue supposed to be moved? He reached out with the force...and felt it give, just slightly. Pulling harder, he managed to slide it all the way forward and out, dropping it gently to the ground. As it hit the ground, a passage swung open in the back of the alcove.

Intrigued, Cal said, "Don't know how Cordova missed this one."

"Beeeep, woo." BD seemed interested, too.

"Definitely wasn't in the notes."

They shimmied through into another, smaller chamber. This room contained only a single, ornately engraved stone pedestal with a strong Force presence. Entranced, Cal reached out with his hand -

~~A rapidly aging Zeffo. Desperation and determination - _I can not lose them, I will not_ ;~~

* _ **Just as the wind may lift the leaf from the stream, so can the Wind of Life unmoor one from the River of Time.**_ *

\- and shook himself out of the vision (echo? It certainly didn't feel like one) to BD's concerned chatter. "I'm fine, just another force echo." Looking back at the, now mundane, pedestal, he said "Whatever that was, the echo is gone now. Let's head back, bud. I think we're done here."

He turned, and....that wasn't right, the room he was in was supposed to be smaller, more...ruiny.

BD let out an alarmed 'wooooo'.

"Yeah, me too, bud," Cal said, staring at the intricately carved door on the wall in concern. "Me too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed it! I have the next few chapters basically done, so I'm gonna try to post within the next few days...


	2. Ripples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal and BD are confused. Obi-Wan makes an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, was not expecting this to get so many views! Special shoutout to ShiranaiAtsune for their comment!!
> 
> Please do feel free to leave advice/comments/criticisms/etc. Also tbh did not know what comment moderation was when I checked it, so I'm gonna turn that off after posting this chapter

"Cordova definitely didn't mention **this** in his notes..." Cal muttered, wide eyes roaming the changed room. He couldn't see the ceiling, he noticed, though it felt much higher than it had before. Wider, too. The room was lit not by cracks above, but by light streaming through the cracks of a large, gold-edged door in place of the passage he had entered. The pedestal was physically still in the center of the room, but it now lacked any noticeable presence in the Force.

He reached for his comm. "Cere, come in. I think I found something...not sure what."

Static.

Frowning, Cal tried again. "Cere? Greez? Merrin? Hello?"

Static, still. Hopefully his comm wasn't broken...he was probably just too deep underground. Yeah, that seemed reasonable.

He shuddered, noticing for the first time how unnaturally quiet it was.

"Well, Beedee, guess we should where this leads?"

"...Boop," BD offered.

"Yeah, I'm worried, too. I've never seen the Force do _this_ before."

"Boo-boop. Bwep?"

"Yeah, tell me about it. And that echo was really weird, almost like someone meant to leave a message."

"bwop?"

"Nah, it wasn't like the Vault." He shuddered, thinking about it.

"...beep-boo."

"Hey, we'll be fine, bud." Cal said, encouragingly. "And Cere and Merrin can take care of Greez until we make our way back," he joked, trying to lighten the mood. "We'll find our way back to them, don't worry," he added, softer.

Holding out his 'saber cautiously, Cal strode up to the door. Closer inspection revealed inscriptions - more Zeffonian runes - alongside carefully engraved swirls. Reaching out, he opened it, blinking in the sudden light of the outdoors.

He stepped out into a the ruins of a town, the sound of blaster-fire in the distance. A lot of blaster-fire, actually, which couldn't be good.

Blinking again in confusion, Cal said, "Weren't we deeper underground?"

BD beeped an affirmative.

"And, there shouldn't be a town here? Or ruins other than the temple..." Cal mused. Cal turned in a slow circle, trying to get his bearings. Stone houses in disrepair lined the rubble-filled remains of a street. He could see a plaza a bit further away...

That couldn't be right - the sun was setting on the horizon. When they had entered the temple, less than an hour ago, it had been mid-morning.

He half-heartedly tried his comm once more, to no avail.

With a sinking feeling, Cal concluded, "The temple must have taken us somewhere." Thinking for a second, he added, with a small smile to BD, "Or this could be a very long, very strange, temple-induced vision. I think I'd prefer that actually."

"Beep..!?" BD intoned, a bit feebly.

Cal turned to go back in the temple...and blinked again in shock. The crumbling wall behind him was ominously blank, the door he had just come out of simply wasn't there anymore.

"Seems like something that would happen in a vision," he whispered conspiratorially to BD, earning a laughing trill. "Well, there's no going back, and it's getting late. Let's spend the night in one of these homes - I don't know about you, Beedee, but I for one don't want to deal with a full battalion of stormtroopers, vision or not."

BD beeped in agreement, and the two headed inside the nearest house to set up camp for the night. 

\----------

Obi-Wan Kenobi, the esteemed Negotiator, High General of the Galactic Army of the Republic, and Jedi Councillor, was not having a good day. 

Sure, his men had captured the Separatist base after a weeks-long campaign, finally destroying the last hidden pocket of battle droids. He could even justify a short leave for the 212th, "searching for remaining Separatist cells" on planet.

No, it wasn't the galaxy-wide war which was ruining his day.

Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation, hunched slightly over the powered-down holotable and nursing a headache, having just made his report to the Jedi High Council on the massive Force disturbance he had felt earlier that day. Which they, of course, wanted him to investigate. Immediately. Why couldn't his life ever be simple?

At least Mace had seemed sympathetic to his exhaustion.

Nonetheless, he really should find the source of the strange and novel feeling permeating the Force. Like...fading ripples. The last thing they needed was for the Separatists to gain another advantage. Nodding his head, he called his second, Commander Cody, over.

He gave his friend a tired smile. "Commander, the Council has informed me that I am to look for the source of a Force disturbance on planet. I advise you and the men use this time to rest."

Cody snorted. "With all due respect, sir, you need the break more than we do."

"I am fine, Commander," he huffed, the teasing familiar after more than a year at war. Though, he secretly did appreciate the concern. "I will meditate before I leave." He offered.

"Need any backup, sir?" Cody pressed.

Already mentally making preparations for a potentially long and fruitless search, he replied, distractedly, "I will be fine, Cody. Take care of the troops for me." 

\----------

The night was pleasantly warm, which worked in Cal's favor because he didn't want to draw any curious stormtroopers to their camp by making a fire. Munching on his supply of rations - and thank you Greez for always loading him up with snacks - he settled into meditation, his spare, garishly pink poncho making a nice cushion against the cool ground.

There was something strange about the Force: it wasn't bad, just...different. It didn't feel right - or, well, it felt fine, but not like it should. It was almost...choppy?

He leaned into his meditation a little more. It felt lighter, too. That was interesting, he could almost sense someone else out there, too. But it wasn't Cere or even Merrin...

The blaster-fire had ended some time after nightfall, before Cal roused himself from his meditation. BD, standing watch, beeped at him, suggesting he sleep.

It was later, almost dawn, being shaken awake by one of BD's legs, when he realized he actually did fall asleep. Just sitting there. Cal groaned softly - he was definitely going to regret sleeping like that - BD still insistently nudging him. He glancing at his little buddy, whose lights were flashing a bit frantically alongside his continued nudges, and realized something must be wrong.

Rolling quietly to his feet and scooping BD up onto his shoulder, Cal crept over to the open doorway. Keeping a close hand on his 'saber, hidden under his poncho, he stood in shadow and peeked out into the street. 

There. A figure ambling casually through town. Danger written in their precise strides, the ease with which they kept their balance walking through the rubble. Cal held his breath as they stopped suddenly...and turned to look directly towards him. He - it was a he, Cal recognized that face - pulled back his hood as the first light of the planet's star began peeking over the horizon, casting the not-stranger in gold.

A smile. "Hello there"

Cal gaped. "Master Kenobi??"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe evil cliffhangers
> 
> Expect the next chapter in about a week!


	3. Missing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew of the Mantis notices something is amiss. Cal eventually comes to a realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not entirely sure about all the POV switching in this chapter but yeah...

Merrin sat in the grass next to the Mantis, eyes closed. The energy on Broditur was similar to that of Bogano. Different to the energy on Dathomir (missing so much _pain_ and _suffering ~~her sisters cut down~~_ ), yet just as life persisted on Dathomir, life made its way into each and every niche here. Surviving.

Her thoughts turned toward her adventurous crewmate. He, too, had seen the suffering of his people, felt as his family had been hunted down and eliminated, and, yet, had survived. With dry humor she considered what a pair they made, a Jedi and a Nightsister. Truly unheard of. She reached to grasp his colorful essence amongst the simple energy of Broditur's wildlife...

She furrowed her brow, where was it? Another swift search revealed no anomaly amongst the planet's energy beyond the Mantis. She swiftly stood, containing her confusion and concern, and strode over to the Mantis' cockpit where Cere was monitoring for Imperial and crew comms alike. 

"Cere? Has Cal checked in recently?" Merrin questioned, hunching to look over her shoulder at the console's read-out. She did not understand any of it.

Pulling up the logs, Cere noted. "His last comm was about an hour ago. It seemed like he didn't find much." Frowning, she added, "Strange, he should've commed by now, either telling us if he found something else or was leaving." 

Cere carefully typed out Cal's comm code, then pressed a hand to her headset. "Cal, come in. What is your status?"

There was no response. Cere and Merrin shared a worried look. "Cal?" Merrin tried.

Nothing, not even a click to indicate the call had connected. 

It was at that moment that Greez walked into the cockpit. "Hey guys, quick question for dinner -" he looked at Cere, then at Merrin "....I know that look, what's wrong."

"Cal's not responding to our comms," Cere said, typing furiously at her console. "Our calls aren't even connecting."

Greez looked worried. "The kid wouldn't be stupid enough to drop his comm off a cliff, right?"

Sharing a look with Cere, Merrin stood. "I will go after him."

Cere nodded. "Be careful. And make sure stay in contact."

Merrin nodded, determined, and set out. 

\----------

Obi-Wan could sense a presence in the ruined town, but couldn't pin it down. The whole area had a strange feeling in the Force. Interference patterns. Which, really, shouldn't be possible.

Needless to say he was quite intrigued.

So, it was no surprise when he caught a hint of movement amongst the rubble. He stopped and turned, plastering on his friendliest smile, and called out a greeting. (young, human, male, dark poncho, a droid on his shoulder) 

"Hello there."

"Master Kenobi??"

Now that was curious. Reaching up to stroke at his beard, he affected polite confusion. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, young one."

\----------

Cal supposed that, if anyone could have survived the Purge, it would have been Master Kenobi. He was even in Cere's holocron, so he must've survived at least the initial attack. But that didn't explain what he was doing here (Cal was still working on where 'here' was - the longer he stayed, the less likely his vision theory seemed. Some planet the temple just decided to teleport him to? But how? And that didn't explain the echo...).

Oh, introductions, right.

"I'm Cal. Cal Kestis," he replied. "I was Master Tapal's padawan before...before the Purge."

Cal plowed on, not noticing the look of confusion which passed over Obi-Wan's face. Taking his hand off his 'saber and stepping out into the doorway of his hut, he asked, "Do you know where we are? I was following Cordova- Master Cordova's, that is, notes to a Zeffo temple on Broditur - I suppose it was last night local time? There was a really weird pedestal that I probably shouldn't have touched, but then there was a door which led here? I'm still not convinced this isn't a Force vision, for that matter, and I know for a fact that Broditur didn't have any towns, but temples don't normally lead to completely different planets and then disappear with their doors so..."

He realized he was rambling with a wince. It was just so _nice_ to know they, he and Cere, weren't alone. And, if anyone had answers _~~(why did the clones betray us, how did no one see it coming, what do we **do** )~~_, it would be a Councillor. He looked at Obi-Wan expectantly.

Obi-Wan was looking at him strangely, hand paused mid-stroke on his beard. "I was not aware Master Tapal had knighted a padawan."

That...wasn't what he was expecting? Stamping down his grief, Cal dropped his gaze, "Master Tapal didn't knight me. He was...killed....protecting me."

Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow at that, hand dropping from his beard. "Last I heard, Master Tapal was alive and well. He and his fleet, along with his current padawan, were being sent to negotiate with the Scrapper's Guild on Bracca." Leaning in, he added: "Tell me, what is the 'Purge'?"

...what?

\----------

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. The Force was practically screaming it at him. The young Knight before him couldn't be telling the truth, but it was clear his emotions and words were genuine.

The Knight before him looked utterly stunned. Giving him a moment to compose himself, Obi-Wan folded his hands behind his back and answered his previous question. "And as to where we are: this planet is called Spirao. I am here on a campaign, though I am unsure how your...Zeffo? temple could have deposited you here, considering I have never so much as heard of Broditur before." He mused, "Though I suppose Master Cordova did keep his secrets."

Fixing him with wide (sad? hopeful?) eyes, Cal asked him, "You're on a campaign here?"

Purposely ignoring the nudging of the Force, Obi-Wan nodded. "Just so. My men, the 212th, as I'm sure you know, have been working to liberate this planet from Separatist occupation. I do believe we'll be reassigned soon enough, though."

Cal glanced down, then turned to mutter to his droid friend. When he looked up, there was a certain steel in his eyes. "Master Kenobi, I think there's a lot I need to tell you."

He...did not like the sound of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what are tenses lol
> 
> Once again thanks to those who commented!   
> (Little nod to baby Cal for BlueHotDog...will he show up for real at some point? Who knows (certainly not me lol). But yeah, the idea is that Cal has been placed in the past, not that he's replaced his younger self, so they could theoretically interact at some point - probably without breaking the timeline?)


	4. Merrin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merrin makes her way downtown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely meant to have this out a few days ago...oops?
> 
> Do I know how Nightsister magic or culture works? No. Please enjoy my poor attempts at world-building anyway lol
> 
> Thank you to all of the commenters and people who left kudos! I'm blown away by the response to this story

Following Cal's path was trivial for a Sister of her skill, a trail of energy stretching like string out from the Mantis into the wilds. More grounded where he had lingered, almost drifting off in certain parts (she wasn't about to slide down the cliffs, how graceless).

She needn't even fight the native fauna. Wrapping herself in the simplistic energy of the planet, a much easier feat than full cloaking, allowed her to walk right past them. She soon found herself before the archway that was the Temple's entrance.

Merrin is...uninspired by this Temple. Though far more malicious, the Tomb on Dathomir had a much more tangible presence which had permeated the surrounding area. Standing in front of this ruin, she can barely sense a presence at all.

She pulls out her comm. "Cere. I've found the Temple."

Cere's voice crackles through. "Good. Any sign of Cal?"

"Not yet."

"Keep us updated...And be safe."

She presses forward, green magicks swirling in her outstretched palm lighting the way. Stairs, leading in and down. A small chamber with recessed statuettes.

"Cal?" She tries, though she can only sense the fading trail of his presence. As expected, no response.

She presses forward. There, around the pillar, one out of place, Cal's tampering evident even if she couldn't sense his trail. Peering into the alcove, she finds another path.

Cal did not mention finding a way deeper.

"Cere? Cal found a path deeper into the temple." She holds the line open as she slides through the passage.

A sigh from the other end of the comm. "Of course he did." She catches Cere muttering, "I explicitly told him to comm us..."

Emerging into a smaller room, Merrin is taken aback. Cal's trail just....stops. Severed from this space like a tearing wound. Glancing around the room yields no more answers.

It's...viscerally wrong. Even Nightsister 'teleportation', as Cal had called it, couldn't rend the track of one's very existence like this. It had to connect somewhere...

She raises her comm, Cere needs to know. "Cal is not here. He's...just gone."

Cere, voice laden with confusion, asks "Are you sure? He would have commed if he left."

"There are no other exits in this room. I would be able to tell if he had left the way he came." Scanning the room with her eyes, she adds "He's vanished."

The room's only object catches her eye, and Merrin turns her attention to the pedestal in the center of the room. There's something about it...

She strides up to it. "There is a pedestal here." Squinting at it a bit, she feels for its energy. It is slippery, yet compelling. Intermingled with a strange presence...and Cal. 

It's strong, too. Not in the same way as the Legacy of Kujet, but....she should have been able to feel it from the main chamber, from outside, even.

Peculiar...

She barely hears Cere's questioning chatter as she reaches out and touches the stone...

....and blinks in the sudden oppressive silence. 

"Cere?"

Nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really hoping to have the next chapter out this weekend (should be longer than this one!)
> 
> Beyond the next few chapters I only have a rough idea of where this is going, so updates will probably become weekly at some point (also I'm open to suggestions pls)


	5. Interference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cere has a bad feeling about all of this. Cal has a bit of a breakdown, but he's doing his best... Obi-Wan does not like the future, thank you very much.

"A pedestal? Do you see anything else? Any signs of Cal in the rest of the room?" Years of Jedi training and, later, living on the run had taught Cere how to prioritize. Eno would have been ecstatic finding an undiscovered room, but Cal was her priority now. If he wasn't there... "There must be a secret passage, or a hidden exit." she mused. "You're sure you don't see any other doors?"

She could hear Merrin's breathing from the other end of the line, calm and slow, but no response to her questions. Slightly concerned that Merrin's comm was malfunctioning, Cere took a deep breath and tried again. "Merrin? What else do you see?"

A second later, a burst of static, accompanied by a sharp whistling noise, crackled through the comm loud enough for her to pull her earpiece away for a few seconds. Then, the line went dead silent. Cere frowned, what in the worlds? 

She typed out Merrin's comm code, and felt a sickening lurch in her stomach as the line refused to connect. Too similar to Cal... "Sith _hells_ ," she cursed under her breath, typing away at her console, trying to get a reading, anything, on whatever had just happened.

The lull in conversation had lured Greez to the cockpit, where he quickly noticed Cere's frantic typing. "Cere, are you alright? What happened?"

"Merrin's comm just dropped." She sighed heavily, pausing for a moment. "It sounded like something happened, some kind of interference? One minute she was there, then static."

"Maybe there's some kind of Zeffo scrambler in the Temple?" Greez asked, trying to be helpful.

"I don't know, I'm not picking up any signatures...but if it's completely foreign technology..." Cere started typing again, trying to detect any sort of signal. "Merrin said she couldn't find Cal in the temple, that he had completely vanished...maybe there's some sort of secret passage which activates the jammer?" 

"That seems reasonable!"

"I don't know Greez, it just doesn't sound right to me." Cere sighed, looking up from her terminal. "I have a bad feeling about all of this."

"Don't say that!" Greez was superstitious at heart. That statement never boded well. 

Cere, ever the pragmatist, raised a brow and fixed him with a look. 

"All right, all right, don't say I didn't warn you." He leaned against the cockpit chair, going uncharacteristically silent for a few seconds before asking, more softly, "So, what are we going to do now?"

Glancing down at the still blank scanner, Cere was, for the first time since she had set out on Cordova's mission, at a complete loss. "I don't know."

\----------

Cal stood frozen for a second, in shock, then dropped his gaze to glare at the ground.

It'll be easy, he said. Just explore some ruins, see if Cordova missed anything about the Zeffo's understanding of the Force. The temple was tiny, how much trouble could he get into?

Well he certainly did. What were the odds his first mission back would kriffing send him back in time?

He should've realized something was wrong when he first saw Master Kenobi - there was no way he had aged the five years since the Purge. And his presence, though clearly marked by the war, lacked the scars wrought by the Purge.

He was more than five years in the past! What about his crew?! The Mantis probably wasn't even built yet, how was he supposed to get back to Cere and Greez and Merrin in his proper time? Would his existence in the past alter the timeline so much that it would be unrecognizable?

Could he even change anything? Force, could he stop the Purge, the Empire? ( ~~Could he forgive himself if he didn't try~~ )

A soft "boop" from BD brought him out of his ~~panic~~ musings. 

He took a deep breath and turned to his friend. "Okay, change of plans Beedee," he whispered. "I think that temple might've sent us back in time."

BD softly trilled in confusion.

"Yeah, I don't understand it either, but I really don't think this is a vision. It's all is too real."

"..bwee-bop?"

"I don't think we're going home, bud. We have to make things right." With that, Cal squared his shoulders and nodded to himself. 

Looking at the Jedi before him, Cal said, "Master Kenobi, I think there's a lot I need to tell you."

\----------

"I...there's no way for me to say this without sounding crazy, but I think that temple sent us, me and BD-" he gestured to his droid, "-back in time." Cal took a deep breath and gave a shaky smile. "For me, the Clone Wars have been over for more than five years."

Ah. That did sound crazy. But, with the Force ringing with sincerity (and some sadness?), Obi-Wan was inclined to believe this young knight...for now at least.

It was a comfort, almost, even though the future sounded horrendous. Sometimes it felt the war would never end. At least one day the fighting would be over.

Obi-Wan nodded to himself. "Right. And I take it we lost? And the Separatists perpetrated this...Purge you spoke of?"

Cal's gaze went distant, like he was looking through Obi-Wan towards something unseen on the horizon. He was practically radiating despair into the Force. "Yeah, we lost. But the Separatists weren't behind the Purge." A broken laugh. "They lost, too. We all lost." With that, he refocused on Obi-Wan. "The Separatists, the Jedi, the Republic, we were all pawns in some sick game."

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise. 

"I don't know all the details. I don't even know where to begin...I guess I'll start with the day the war, and the Republic, ended..."

And Obi-wan listened with mounting horror as Cal told a story of betrayal, personal heartbreak, and persistence.

The mass genocide of the Jedi Order. ("The clones, our friends and allies. All of them. I still can't wrap my head around why, but they turned on their Jedi with lethal force. They were used, just like the us. Master Tapal protected me and sabotaged our ship...but I couldn't save him.")

~~His own heart breaking thinking of Cody turning his blaster on him.~~

A tale of atrocities, of rise of a new Empire headed by Palpatine, of all people. ("He said the Jedi tried to assassinate him, used that as justification to declare himself Emperor and the Jedi traitors. I don't know what actually happened, there was so much propaganda put on the holonet... I'm sure they somehow saw what he was trying to do.")

~~Suspicions about the Chancellor's accumulation of power had conveniently been pushed off. There was always something more important to focus on when running a war, after all.~~

A Sith Empire, its own Inquisitorious to hunt and torture Jedi masters and younglings alike. ("Vader, he was a true Sith, no doubt. He was lightyears above the Inquisitors, more a force of nature than a man." A haunted look in his eye. "A demon. They say those who face him are never seen again. Cere and I were lucky to get away with our lives. We almost didn't.")

A mission of hope, a holocron holding the future of the Jedi Order. His decision to destroy the holocron, to protect those younglings, to trust their fates to the Force. Trying to move on, only to be swept back before things had gone wrong. ("The Zeffo, Ulzid, seemed desperate to protect someone they loved. Maybe the temple wanted to help me protect the Order?")

He needed to get this information to the Council immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luckily for Anakin, Cal does not know Vader's true identity. I tried to grapple with how much Cal would have known, considering he basically lived as an average citizen until the events of the game (also didn't want to make it too wordy and drawn out - Obi-Wan mostly lets him explain so there's not a lot of back and forth which I would otherwise feel the need to write hehe).
> 
> Definitely expect weekly-ish updates from now! Also! You may have noticed this is now a part of a series - I've made a tentative outline of where I want this story to go, and I think that it's gonna end up being at least two works (with a few one-shots thrown in, probably), just so the pacing works out. Please don't ask me how long it'll end up being...
> 
> Thanks again to all of the lovely commentors, kudos-leavers, bookmarkers, and other readers! I continue to be surprised by how much love this fic is getting lol


	6. Ships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan and Cal get a bit...sidetracked. Cody wonders what he did to deserve any of this.

The planet's sun had long begun its ascent into the sky by the time Obi-Wan, Cal, and BD-1 had set out from their temporary shelter. Now that he knew to look for it, Cal could see the light glinting off the Venator-class Star Destroyer high in orbit. The _Negotiator_ , so named for its famous (or infamous, depending who you asked) general. He wondered where it had ended up after the war.

"My starfighter is parked at the edge of town, just to the North," Obi-Wan had explained as Cal packed up his meager belongings. "I must admit, I wasn't expecting a passenger when I flew out. It'll be a bit cramped, but we should be able to squeeze you both in."

They strolled through the streets in silence, both lost in thought, stopping once as BD scanned the remains of a B1 battle droid pitted with blaster-holes. It seemed like the town had been abandoned before the fighting took place, if the buildings completely empty of furniture and personal effects were anything to go by, at least. Separatist droids usually wouldn't loot that kind of stuff.

Cal hoped this place had been abandoned long before the war, that the citizens hadn't been forced out of their homes by Separatist (or Republic) forces, or worse. There were already so many refugees, so many families torn apart. His sad thoughts turned bitter; the Empire hadn't even pretended to care, 'relocating' billions of sentients.

He was just relieved Master Kenobi seemed to believe him. The Jedi were far from the only ones who suffered in the future. 

They had just about reached the Northern side of the town's central plaza when the silence was suddenly broken by the sharp beeping of Obi-Wan's comm. Eyebrows raising in surprise, Obi-Wan answered the call. A hologram flickered on of a clone trooper in white and dark gold.

Cal suppressed a wince. The clones hadn't betrayed the Jedi yet. Right.

This is fine.

Obi-Wan nodded at the hologram, "Commander Cody."

"General Kenobi, sir, I hope you've found whatever it is you're looking for because a Separatist Lucrehulk just dropped out of hyperspace at the far end of the system." Cody grimly reported.

Obi-Wan frowned, disturbed. "This post isn't strategically important enough to the Separatists to warrant that kind of backup..." he paused and looked over at Cal, "unless that's not why they are here."

Cal definitely winced at that. "Sorry?" He hardly meant to put their battalion in the line of fire. He didn't even mean to come here!

That caught Cody's attention. "Sir?"

Obi-Wan sighed and shifted his holocomm so that Cal was visible. "Cody, meet our Force disturbance, Knight Cal Kestis."

Cal awkwardly gave a little wave. 

"Beep-fwee!" BD peeked up from his place on Cal's shoulder.

"Oh, and his companion, BD-1, of course," Obi-Wan amended with a small smile. BD trilled a short greeting.

Turning serious again, Obi-Wan re-centered the comm and asked, "What is the status of the Lucrehulk? Is it still at the far end of the system?"

"That's the thing, sirs," Cody responded, glancing at something out-of-frame, "it's just been sitting there since it arrived. No move to engage the _Negotiator_. Or send reinforcements."

Very suspicious, indeed, Cal mused. He wondered what the range was for Sith on sensing Force disturbances.

With a frown, Obi-Wan moved to stroke at his beard. "Interesting indeed. Have-"

Before Obi-Wan could continue, another clone burst into view. "Commander, we're detecting incoming. It's...just one small ship, but the flight vector traces back to the Sep's ship."

It was at that moment that Cal caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to the left, only half-listening to the ongoing conversation.

Obi-Wan nodded decisively, still focused on his commander. "Prepare the men. We can't assume this visit will be peaceful."

Cal squinted, he was sure something just moved down that side street...there, a glint of something metal..... _oh sith spit_.

"Master Kenobi," Cal grabbed at his 'saber, while calling over his shoulder, "we have a problem."

Obi-Wan turned, just as the first B1 battle droid stepped out into the plaza.

"Oh, lovely."

\----------

Cody swore as the comm disconnected to the sounds of blaster fire. He turned sharply and stalked over to the staging area, Waxer pacing alongside, swiping at a holopad with practiced precision. The 212th had a bit of a history bailing their Jedi out of trouble, after all. "How soon can we get men to the General's position?" Cody demanded.

Waxer gestured with his 'pad: "I've already sent out the order. We can have ships in the air in three, and men on the ground in eight."

Cody grunted. "Make it six." He cursed again under his breath. He knew he shouldn't have let Obi-Wan go off alone. Sometimes, it seemed like his general was trying to put put himself in an early grave. Cody would most likely follow, from stress alone.

Waxer finished typing something, then paused, looking pensive. "I wonder...where did the clankers come from? It can't have been the Lucrehulk: even the ship they launched should still be a few minutes out."

Cody frowned - he had a good point. The last of the battle droids on planet _should_ have been destroyed when they captured the Separatist base. Intel didn't indicate any other storehouses or bases in the system. And how could they put together an ambush without Obi-Wan, or this new Knight he had found, noticing? It just didn't add up...

He locked eyes with Waxer, both having come to the conclusion that something was very wrong. "I don't know Vod, but I don't like this. We need to get these ships in the air."

He had the bad feeling that Obi-Wan was doing something actively stupid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, this is late because I was trying to actually write the fight scene....did not go well for me as you can probably tell lol.  
> I promise next chapter will be longer? (or a double upload for this weekend if pacing's really weird). Just wanted to get this one out before it got even later into the week <3
> 
> Thanks again to all you readers! Was very surprised when this passed 1000 views?! ^_^   
> And I love reading your comments!!


	7. Ambush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan and Cal and BD face off against a horde of droids...and are visited by a certain Separatist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Absolutely did not mean for this to take so long... I have no idea what I'm doing writing combat, yikes  
> look, the timing might be questionable for a few things but plz go with it. are Obi-Wan and Cal alternatingly too op and too weak? perhaps, idk, I tried my best that's all I can say
> 
> Incredibly spooked by how many views and kudos this has racked up since I last posted?!? Loved reading y'all's comments <3
> 
> Also, a little bit of context, B1 droids are your standard battle droid (aka clanker), while B2 droids are much more heavily armored, bulkier, and overall more powerful/resistant to damage.

Obi-Wan ignited his 'saber and fell into a Soresu guard as a stream of droids entered into the plaza from all directions, blocking their escape to his ship. He saw Cal ignite his 'saber, as well, moving to hold his orange blades diagonally across his front. _Interesting. Though,_ he supposed, _Master Tapal **was** one of the few members of the order who wielded a lightstaff..._

The wave of incoming enemies seemed to halt for just a moment. The calm before the storm. Obi-Wan heard a faint "blast 'em," followed by a scattering of "roger, roger," before a hail of blaster fire was unleashed upon them, the droids marching forwards.

Dodging a few stray bolts and flicking his 'saber in precise motions to reflect the rest, Obi-Wan moved to stand back-to-back with Cal, who was alternating between spinning his 'staff and flinging bolts, as well. "Cody will be sending an extraction team," he called back. "It should only be a few minutes, now."

He could feel Cal's nod of acknowledgement through the Force, along with a tendril of something mischievous - a smirk, perhaps? Then, with the circle of enemies narrowing, his young companion pulled away from his back and blurred toward the nearest droid, leaping into an Ataru flip, and slicing clean through the B1's head. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, working hard to suppress a smile; so _that_ was how it was going to be, so to speak.

Falling into a familiar rhythm (the young knight reminding him perhaps a bit too much of his reckless former padawan), he bolted to the side, taking the droids there by surprise, eliminating with an efficient swipe. Almost dancing around the already diminishing blaster fire, Obi-Wan moved on the next clustering of droids, slicing through them with little resistance. Gradually, he made his way towards the edge of the plaza.

With no more enemies between his back and the wall, Obi-Wan quickly took stock of the battle, idly reflecting blaster bolts back at his enemies. There were no more droids entering the fight, as far as he could tell, though a few B2 units had stationed themselves on the far side of the battlefield. The B1s had thinned considerably due to both friendly fire and his and Cal's offense. He was vaguely aware of Cal pulling a Jar'Kai combo on a few unsuspecting B1s not too far from his position (wait, that couldn't possibly be right, he had a 'staff, not duel blades...) - they were both still in fighting shape, at least.

He was just weighing their chances of making an escape via the roofs (he was sure there was a route of intact buildings, they could probably make it to his ship so long as droids weren't guarding it...), when he heard the unfamiliar hum of an approaching ship. He glanced up as a distinctly Separatist ship approached their position.

_Ah. Company._

\----------

Landing from his flip, Cal reached out with the Force and _yanked_ , sending the droids surrounding him staggering in. With a growing smile, he twirled his 'saber overhead then flung it out and around in a circle to take out his remaining enemies, dodging a blaster bolt as it returned to his outstretched hand. He then ran towards another group of droids, spinning his 'saber to deflect blasterfire. Briefly planting his feet, he separated his blades and swung them in a wide arc as he pivoted into a spin, before reattaching them to stab at a droid he had missed. He unconsciously made his way towards Obi-Wan, alternating between blocking and attacking, with BD occasionally beeping encouragements in his ear or, memorably, shocking a droid that got just a bit too close. 

They had just about cleared their side of the battlefield (and thinned the remaining forces quite considerably - seriously, it would be much harder to reflect their bolts if they all fired at the same time instead of staggering their blasts, these droids were worse than stormtroopers sometimes), when he noticed a small ship approaching....a small _Separatist_ ship. Definitely not backup, then.

The droids stopped firing on the ship's approach, moving out of the its way as it touched down in the center of the plaza. The Force itself seemed to crystallize as the ramp extended, almost ringing in Cal's ears as none other than Count Dooku himself stepped aristocratically out of the ship. Foreboding.

Cal watched in a sort of detached way. As a padawan, he had never seen Dooku (the closest he had gotten was a fleeting glimpse of his apprentice, Ventress), and, even if the reports of his death (and subsequent disappearance from the Galactic stage) were some kind of bizarre Empire attempt at propaganda, the Count certainly wasn't the type to make an appearance on Bracca.

Here, now, was their ultimate enemy during the Clone Wars...yet another pawn, discarded when he, too, had served his purpose in the rise of the Empire.

Cal frowned; none of them had seen it coming, not the Jedi, not the Republic or the Confederacy, and certainly not Count Dooku. _What did the Sith promise you?_ He wondered. _What did you think was supposed to happen at the end of the war?  
_

Almost as if sensing his thoughts, Dooku glanced sharply over at Cal with an appraising look in his eye, before turning back to Obi-Wan. "Kenobi," he drawled, "picking up strays, are you?"

"Dooku," Obi-Wan shot back. "Lonely as ever, I see. A shame."

Cal held back a snort. Obi-Wan was just stalling for time (or maybe he actually _was_ trying to provoke Dooku, who could truly say?).

Dooku sneered at the Jedi Master. "Ah, yes, so hard to find good company these days, my grandpadawan" he flicked his glance derisively at Cal, before locking eyes with Obi-Wan, "a trial which has plagued us all."

Cal pursed his lips. _Okay, that was **rude**. _Not sure what he expected from a literal Sith, though.

With that, Dooku strode down the ramp, pausing briefly at its base to ignite his lightsaber.

Obi-Wan ran his off hand through his hair, before twirling his 'saber into a loose guard. "Yes, indeed. I am feeling particularly - how did you put it? - plagued by present company," he answered with a quirk to his lip, making direct eye contact with the Count.

Cal moved his 'saber into a guard, as well - definitely best to be prepared if Master Kenobi was going to keep taunting a Sith.

Dooku scowled, moving his 'saber into Makashi's opening stance.

Two things seemed to happen at once: the Count launched into an attack, a quick feint at Obi-Wan's unprotected side followed up by an upwards slash, and the droids started blasting again, targeting Cal. Cal tore his attention away from the duel, cursing himself for forgetting his surroundings. He fought back, of course, redirecting the droids' blaster bolts back with deadly precision, slashing and stabbing at those that got close. However, he found himself slowly backing towards a wall as the remaining droids - _were there this many a minute ago??_ \- advanced, coordinating their attacks. 

It was overwhelming.

Swarmed by droids, Cal gathered the force and _pushed_ , knocking over a wall of B1s. He hissed in pain as a newly revealed B2 struck his shoulder, too slow in bringing his 'saber up to block. _He needed to end this, quick_. Cal separated his blades and spun into a wide, slashing Jar'Kai attack, while BD moved to zap one of the B2 reinforcements. As Cal pivoted to throw one half of his 'saber down the line of enemies (keeping the other blade to block the continuing onslaught of blaster fire), he saw the B2 turn on BD.

His heart lept into his throat - _not Beedee, he couldn't lose him too_ \- as he moved to charge BD's attacker.

Too late, as the B2 plucked BD off of its shoulder, and _threw him_ , Cal's eyes automatically tracking his trajectory towards Obi-Wan and Dooku's duel. Unfortunately, that moment of distraction was the perfect opening. Time seemed to slow down; Cal refocused just in time to see a stun grenade land at his feet. His eyes widened as he scrambled to get away, but it was already too late. His muscles seized, the world going dark around the edges.

As his consciousness faded, Cal felt something strange shift in the Force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan is sass master u cant change my mind
> 
> Also have no idea what people knew about Count Dooku's death during the Empire, so Cal's assuming that Vader was Dooku's (much more powerful) replacement - a surprisingly accurate assessment given he didn't know Palp's plan. (after all, I highly doubt the Separatist systems were treated well by the Empire, and you'd think if Dooku were involved his home planet would somehow have been favored...yeah that's what I'm going with lol)


End file.
